


Old Habits Die Hard

by niigoki



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 16:29:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14674983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niigoki/pseuds/niigoki
Summary: It doesn’t bother them. It’s a joke, and they know how to take jokes, even it’s based on fact. ...Ok, maybe it does bother them.orMina and Jihyo are tired of the rumors placed on them and Sana and Nayeon are left alone in the dorm for a few hours.





	Old Habits Die Hard

**Author's Note:**

> A reward for StarCupcake! Thank you so much for your support, I hope you enjoy it!

It doesn’t bother her.

It’s a joke, and Mina knows how to take jokes, even it’s based on fact. Interviews, radio shows, special footage; every time the members have to mention something funny or curious about Mina, they all say the same thing, because it’s what truly happens.

“Mina stays inside the whole day when she can.”

“I wish Mina unnie would hang out with us more.”

“One day I left the dorm in the morning, and when I came back at night Mina was watching a movie in the same position as when I left!”

Mina laughs, because it is funny.

Maybe.

She didn’t really know what to think of it at first, so she went with the flow, just to show people a good sense of variety – she was already self-conscious, she didn’t need to be a mood-killer too. MCs asked more and more about this, the girls teased her more and more each time, and Mina endured the mockery because—

Well, it was true.

It doesn’t bother Mina.

Until the day it does.

“If you could say something to the member beside you, what would you say?” It’s an ordinary question for their latest radio interview. They go around in order, and when Tzuyu turns to Mina, she has an unconventional smug grin.

Mina knows what’s coming and fights the urge to roll her eyes because it’s their maknae.

“Unnie… please hang out with us when we ask you out.”

The round of laughter is familiar; the MC asks what that means, the older girls explain, cue for more laughter, and that’s that. Mina doesn’t know why, but she can feel her face heating up and is less than amused by it this time around. She hopes that the unsettling feeling goes away with time.

It doesn’t, really.

They return to the dorm after an exhausting day of activities and Mina sits on the very back row of the van because she doesn’t want to be disturbed. An ironic gesture – she’s upset about the jokes the others make on her anti-social quirks, and yet isolates herself more; maybe if she chatted with the girls on the way back home they would stop teasing.

She’s thinking too much, perhaps. No one is really in the mood to talk, anyway.

“Are you mad?” Mina hears Nayeon asking, and she’s sure she’s talking to her. She’s about to turn to answer her when she realizes that the one Nayeon was worried about was Jihyo.

“No.” Jihyo answers in a monotone and everyone can tell that she is, indeed, upset. Mina doesn’t know why, though, and pays attention to the conversation. Did she miss something?

“You totally are.” Jeongyeon butts in.

“I’m not, cut it out.”

“Jihyo, it’s okay, no one cares that you’re Twice’s resident alcoholic.” Nayeon tries to console her, but ends up getting beaten. She manages to evade the string of punches that comes in her direction by pulling Jeongyeon to the front, but it does nothing to calm the leader down. Everyone sort of laughs sleepily, and Mina understands.

So, she’s not the only one upset about a joke between the members.

“I’m not an alcoholic, you absolute pricks! My image is ruined and it’s your fault.” Jihyo sits back with her arms crossed.

“Please, if you’re worried about ruining your image then I can name a few V Lives that did that already.” Jeongyeon is not done mocking her, and Jihyo yells again. Despite being in a mood, Mina can’t help but to smile at the scene. It makes her realize that she’s not the only target for these types of jokes, and the girls only make fun of the people they love.

Still, she’s stubborn, and will not accept things that easily. Mina wanted an apology.

Or at least for someone to realize that she was upset too, like Nayeon did with Jihyo.

They arrive at the dorm with a few grunts and Sana is the first to enter the bathroom, with Nayeon following right behind her. It’s relatively early in the night, and even though their packed schedule makes them sleepy, none of them can actually go to sleep before eleven anyway. Their ritual consists of removing their makeup, putting on comfy clothes and piling up on the living room to watch something as they eat leftover ramen.

Dahyun is the first one to show up in pajamas, sitting on the couch casually. A few minutes later Chaeyoung throws herself unceremoniously on top of her, which earns a dramatic yelp from the older girl. Jeongyeon accommodates herself in between the two, Tzuyu sits next to Chaeyoung, and Momo lies down on top of everyone. They don’t deny her, and Jeongyeon alternates between eating her ramen and poking Momo’s belly.

Sana and Nayeon finally get out of the bathroom together, giggling and blushing slightly – Jeongyeon notices, but doesn’t say anything. The two sit on the floor with their heads leaning comfortably on Tzuyu’s legs and the only ones missing are Mina and Jihyo. Chaeyoung notices their absence after a couple of minutes.

“Unnies, the movie is about to start!” She yells from the couch, unable to move because of Momo on top of her.

Jihyo shows up only to grab two cups of ramen. “Mina and I will be knitting in her room.”

“But we’re watching the one you like.” Chaeyoung tries with an uncharacteristic baby voice, because she knows it gets to Jihyo, but not tonight apparently.

“I’ve watched it five times already. Good night.”

She leaves the room and there’s a sudden chilliness in the atmosphere. Jeongyeon eyes Nayeon with a nervous chuckle. “She’s really mad.”

Entering Mina’s bedroom, Jihyo closes the door with her heel and passes Mina her food; the younger girl thanks her with a soft grin. Their knitting materials are on top of the shelf, but they decide to eat first. Sitting side by side on the mattress, the two girls blow the heat from the cup.

Mina might be quiet most of the time, but in a familiar environment like her own bed, she allows herself to relax and talk freely about everything that comes to mind. They chat about many things; their concerns, how tired they are, how happy they feel despite the exhaustion, the funny bits of their latest interviews, things that bother them about the other girls – all in good spirit, of course.

Well, maybe Jihyo is being a little mean today, but Mina knows that she’s just upset about being exposed as the one who drinks the most.

“I don’t even want to know how many articles came out about that.” Jihyo finishes slurping her ramen and settles the cup on the nightstand.

Mina giggles, drinking the rest of the liquid. “At least drinking is fun. They didn’t peg you as the ‘homebody who never leaves her bed’ type of idol.”

“Oh,” Jihyo blinks, and touches Mina’s shoulder. “Oh, Mina… is it bothering you? I’m sorry I said that.” She sounds really guilty. “I can tell the girls to stop, too.”

“No, it’s—” Mina wants to say that it’s fine, not a big deal, but she freezes because she feels that if she doesn’t do something about it, she’ll be mocked forever. “Actually, yeah, it is bothering me. A little.”

Jihyo’s smile is healing, Mina thinks. It’s always been, and the hand on her shoulder squeezes. “All right. I’ll tell them to tone it down, okay?”

Mina blushes a bit, relieved. “Thank you.”

“Let me make it up to you. Lie down.” Jihyo takes Mina’s cup from her hand, placing it next to the other empty one, and pushes the girl gently until she’s lying down with her back turned to the ceiling.

“What are you doing?”

Jihyo straddles her, sitting on her hip and bringing her fingers to her shoulders. “Massage. Can I?”

It’s not something out of the ordinary; the girls usually massage each other when they’re stressed, but it took Mina by surprise nonetheless. She nods slowly, trying to ignore how fast her heart was beating, but as soon as Jihyo’s fingers press down on her skin, she feels herself relaxing under her touch.

Mina likes being taken care of, and the attention Jihyo is giving her right now is everything to her. She wished she was more assertive at times, outgoing and friendly like the others, but it was hard for her. Mina knew that the girls didn’t resent her for that, but she couldn’t help but to feel lonely at times.

Jihyo’s gentleness and consideration toward Mina makes her insides melt a little bit. She closes her eyes and hums, appreciating the gesture, and can’t help but to giggle when Jihyo slides her thumbs down her back and accidentally presses on her ribs. The sound turns into a full laughter when the spot she touches is a ticklish one and Mina tries to turn around to protect herself.

“Oh, what’s this? Is Minari ticklish here?” Jihyo teases trying to find other spots, and Mina yelps, finally managing to roll around on the bed to cover her sides.

Jihyo doesn’t give up, however, and pounces with grabby hands.

“Jihyo-ah!” Mina’s laughter is warm and it makes Jihyo happy as they struggle on the mattress for a moment.

After a couple of minutes Jihyo finally gives up and gets off the poor girl, lying by her side as the two catch their breaths. Mina’s chest moves up and down and Jihyo turns on her side to stare at her friend’s side profile. She’s smiling despite the exhaustion and Jihyo can’t help but to soften her gaze and admire how pretty Mina really is for a moment.

“What was that for?” Mina manages to ask after she’s fully recovered.

“To cheer you up.” Is all Jihyo answers, and when Mina meets her eyes, she’s sure she could spend the whole day just looking at her.

“Thank you.” Mina’s tone is sincere and Jihyo smiles again.

When the second stretches a bit too long, Jihyo finally sits back up. She wanted to keep lying there with Mina, but she promised that they would knit, and Mina would probably find it weird if she just stared for the rest of the night.

“Let’s make scarves.”

 

\--

 

Jeongyeon is the one who notices first.

“Why are you reading comments?” She stretches her neck to peek at Jihyo’s phone, and the younger girl tries to hide what she was reading by turning around. “Seriously, don’t do that. It’ll just make you feel bad for the rest of the day.”

“And whose fault is that?” Jihyo mutters to herself, not really wanting to cause conflict at eight in the morning. Thankfully Jeongyeon doesn’t hear her and rolls her eyes, poking her shoulder.

“Come on, don’t read stuff on the internet.”

“I’ll be done soon.”

“That’s like, the first thing we’re taught when we get into the agency.”

“I know. Ten years, remember?” It comes out harsher than she intended, but she can’t do anything about it. Jihyo hardly ever pulls the trainee card, and Jeongyeon knows when to leave her alone.

“Fine, do whatever you want.”

“I am.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Jeongyeon turns around with an exasperate sigh and what she sees by her side makes her throw her hands in the air. “You too?!”

Mina doesn’t reply and keeps scrolling through the articles and comments. She thought she was strong enough to endure criticism by now, but some things still manage to sting a lot.

 

_When will Mina stop being an anti-social mess and hang out with the others?_

_Does Mina even like her members at all?_

_Lolol maybe she hates everyone secretly._

_She doesn’t need them, anyway. Mina is the only reason I like Twice._

 

She hates how her eyes water and rubs them strongly before putting her phone down and looking up to the ceiling. There is a moment’s delay, then she feels someone rubbing her arm.

“Don’t mind any of it.” Jeongyeon tries, and Mina is glad for it, but she can’t help it. She shouldn’t have looked at the comments, because now she’s feeling angry both at herself and the world, and what comes out of her mouth is more of an accident than anything else.

“Well, then maybe stop turning me into a joke.”

The silence that follows makes her snap out of her irritated state and she blinks, turning her head around to see that everyone, including the staff, were staring at her with shocked expressions. Mina grunts and gets up, leaving the room and ignoring Jeongyeon’s pleas for her to stay. She thinks she hears a ‘sorry’ in there, but she can’t really be sure.

“What’s with you two today?” Jeongyeon hates arguments, but she hates more the fact that Mina and Jihyo were doing that to themselves. She turns to Nayeon in one last attempt to fix things. “Unnie, help me out.”

Nayeon lifts her head from Sana’s shoulder and hesitates for a moment. When she feels Sana’s hand squeezing hers, her heart picks up speed.

“Let her calm down on her own.” Sana finally suggests, and Nayeon is thankful for the tip, because for as much as she adores Mina, she has to admit that she doesn’t know how to deal with her that well.

Jeongyeon doesn’t like it, but relents. A few minutes later she’s called by the makeup staff, and Jihyo, Sana and Nayeon are the only ones left waiting.

“Did something happen?” Sana asks Jihyo, seeing as they spent last night together talking a lot.

“She’s upset that we keep saying that she doesn’t leave her room,” Jihyo turns her phone off, throwing it carefully on the glass table. It slides for a second, but doesn’t fall. “She was reading comments about our latest interview.”

“Oh… now I feel terrible.” Nayeon looks at the door, waiting for Mina’s figure to reappear, but nothing happens. So, she turns back to Jihyo. “And what were you doing that got Jeongyeon concerned?”

“The same thing,” Jihyo chuckles weakly. “They’re just jokes, but being called an alcoholic by half the country is starting to piss me off.”

“Now I’m feeling twice as terrible.” Nayeon remembers being the one who teased her first about that and sighs. “But seriously, don’t mind that. You’ll go crazy if you do.”

“I know.”

They keep quiet after that, with Sana caressing Nayeon’s hand in an attempt to cheer her up. Jihyo noticed that they’ve been quite close lately, but doesn’t ask; there are unspoken rules between the girls, and not intruding into their relationships with each other is one of them – they know what they need to know, and what doesn’t concern them is left alone.

Sana is next to get her makeup done and Jihyo hates that Mina is still not back. With a bite to her lower lip, she gets up and finally decides to chase after her.

Mina isn’t even far; she was a just few steps away from the door, leaning on the rail and looking down to the people on the street. Her eyes moved from one person to another, trying to come up with life stories to all of them.

One man wearing a suit was going to his wedding rehearsal.

Two girls in uniforms were late for class.

An old woman holding a single cabbage wanted to cook something nice for her grandchildren today.

She feels Jihyo’s warmth beside her and sighs.

“Hey, you.”

Mina shifts closer. “I’m sorry I yelled.”

“You didn’t yell,” Jihyo nudges her with her elbow gently. “You voiced your concern. Don’t worry, Jeongyeon isn’t going to hold a grudge. It’s Jeongyeon.”

This makes Mina chuckle a bit. “Yeah… I suppose so.”

Jihyo follows her gaze downwards and watches the movement under them. “Everyone is so small from up here.”

“It’s funny,” Mina sounds distant. “If all of them looked up and saw us, how many would know who we are? How recognizable are we, really?”

It sounds deep, and Jihyo side-eyes her with a glint of worry.

Mina shakes her head with a soft smile. “It’s something I think about, sometimes. Never mind that.”

She pushes herself back and turns around, ready to walk back inside, when Jihyo grabs her wrist softly. Mina stops, waits for Jihyo to say something, but she just stares at her. Mina meets her eyes and slowly slides away from her grasp, only to hold on to Jihyo’s index finger; to ground her, maybe. “I’m okay, I promise.”

“Okay.” Jihyo answers, and Mina releases her.

Jihyo kinda misses her hold.

She follows her back inside eventually.

 

\--

 

The bad feeling doesn’t go away for neither of them, as it turns out. They don’t know if going back to the dorm with half the group missing makes things worse, but the uncharacteristic silence weights heavily on both Mina and Jihyo.

The two of them, plus Nayeon and Sana, were the only ones free of schedule for the night, so they were allowed to return home after being treated to dinner by a guilty staff – they knew how much the managers cared about their well-being, and they wanted to help cheer the four girls up after a tiring day. The managers were incredibly fun to be around, and even got a few laughs from the two affected girls. They were glad.

With full stomachs and content hearts, they step inside the dorm, Sana latched to Nayeon’s arm and Jihyo helping Mina carry her bag. She didn’t ask for the help, but Jihyo insisted. Leader instinct, maybe.

“I’m so full I’m going to die,” Nayeon crashes on the couch and Sana snuggles up to her. The two giggle softly and Nayeon hugs her close, humming. Sana nuzzles her neck, finding her body to be warm and comfy.

“Don’t sleep on the couch, your backs will hurt like hell tomorrow.” Jihyo remarks as she gets into the bathroom to remove her makeup.

Mina follows her after drinking a cup of water in the kitchen and closes the door because it’s sort of a rule between them – the bathroom is too small for more than two girls at a time, so they lock the place to avoid crowdedness.

The products are spread over the sink and Mina laughs. “Jeongyeonnie would freak if she saw that.”

“I’m glad she’s not here.” Jihyo smiles, rubbing off her foundation.

The two work silently side by side, sometimes exchanging looks in the mirror and smiling shyly at each other. There’s been some sort of shift in their relationship, they can tell – all due to unfair labels placed on them.

Mina kinda loves being close to her like this, even if it was due to bad circumstances.

“Oh,” They reach for the moisturizer at the same time and Jihyo chuckles. “Go ahead.”

“No, it’s okay—”

“Use it, I’ll finish cleaning the sink before Jeongyeon gets here.”

Mina eyes Jihyo for a second as she steps sideways and a little smile forms on her features. Suddenly, she has an impulse to say something weird, wild even, for her own standards. She doesn’t know what prompts it, but watching Jihyo, bare-faced and casual – and _beautiful_ – so close to her makes Mina want to take a leap of faith for once.

“…Let’s go out.”

Jihyo freezes, her hand holding two packs of face masks, and turns to Mina. “I’m sorry?”

“To the Han river. Let’s go out for a while.” Her heart beats strongly against her chest.

“Oh, um… sure, tomorrow maybe?”

“No, right now.” It’s thrilling, to get out of her comfort zone. “Sana and Nayeon won’t mind, and we can sneak past the managers like we used to when we first debuted.”

Every nerve in Jihyo’s body tells her that this is obviously a bad idea; they just returned home, they weren’t wearing any makeup, and they had more schedules tomorrow. Nothing about the situation was appropriate.

But the glint in Mina’s eyes hit Jihyo in an indescribable way.

She feels herself giving up before she can even put up a proper fight. “Okay,” The moment the word leaves her mouth, she smiles. “Yeah. Okay. Just grab some masks.”

Mina almost hugs her right there, but just nods and unlocks the bathroom.

A few moments later, the two girls are ready to sneak out.

“We’re going out, don’t tell the managers, be back soon, don’t sleep on the couch, behave.” The string of words leaves Jihyo’s mouth as they walk past Sana and Nayeon, who were still cuddling on the couch. The only response is Sana’s lazy thumbs up and a small groan.

And just like that, they leave the dorm, giggling.

 

\--

 

It’s chillier than she expected. Mina should’ve brought a bigger coat, but now it was too late.

She had no idea what came over her, but being outside like this without permission made her heart race in ways that she wished she could experience more. It wasn’t like an award show, or right before a performance – it was something else entirely.

It was a new experience.

“Are you feeling it too?” Jihyo asks suddenly, walking calmly through the street with her gym pants and face mask on.

“The cold?”

“No, I mean—” She stops. “Wait, are you cold? Do you want my jacket?”

The absolute sincerity and worry in Jihyo’s words make Mina laugh loudly. Even in a situation like this the girl feels an obligation to take care of others. “No, don’t worry. Feel what?”

Jihyo insists one more time and when Mina declines, she continues her line of thought. “Just… the air. Feels different, right?”

“Because we technically ran away.” Mina concludes, matter-of-factly.

Jihyo laughs at this, bumping shoulders with her. Mina feels giddy, like she could grab Jihyo’s hand and run with her through the street without a care in the world.

The Han river by their side is inviting and beautiful at night, and the streetlights guide them towards the unknown. They’ve been there before when they were trainees, so the place gives off a nostalgic feeling to both girls. Mina thinks that it’s probably her favorite place in Korea, especially accompanied by someone she cherished so much. She closes her eyes and inhales the humid air, relaxing at the comforting smell.

“Can I ask something?” Jihyo breaks the silence again and she has a knowing grin on her face. Mina nods. “Did you want to do this because of the comments online?”

Mina flinches a bit; she hates how easily the other girl manages to read her at times. “…Maybe.” Jihyo lifts an eyebrow and Mina rolls her eyes. “Fine, yes. I just… wanted to show people I could be fun, too.”

“No one knows you’re out here, though.”

“Fine, I wanted to show _myself_ that I could be fun too.” Mina huffs, but not in an angry way. She’s not upset that she got caught, but she blushes nonetheless because Jihyo is looking at her with soft eyes and a smirk that quite frankly makes Mina’s mind go places.

There is something about Jihyo that _gets_ to her.

It’s been getting to her more frequently these past few days.

“You know what? You’re right,” Jihyo stops on her tracks and grabs Mina’s hand, pulling her toward the crowd. “You can go out whenever you want, and I can drink whenever I want, too. Who cares what they say as long as we’re happy!”

“Jihyo?”

There’s a spunky glint on her leader’s eyes and Mina follows her blindly until they’re standing at an outside bar. Mina widens her eyes and pulls her face mask up, suddenly aware of her surroundings and the people who might be watching.

“Say,” Jihyo looks over her shoulder. “You ever tasted soju?”

 

\--

 

“We should take a bath.”

“Hmm… we?” Sana hums against Nayeon’s throat and the older girl shivers.

“Yes, we. Separately, of course.”

“Sounds boring.”

“I don’t know what you mean, I quite enjoy my alone time in the tub.” Nayeon teases because she knows a challenge gets Sana going like nothing else. She feels the girl’s fingers grazing the skin under her shirt immediately and holds her breath. “Sana.”

“Yes?” Sana asks sweetly.

Nayeon lets the hand roam for a moment, basking in the feeling, but then starts sitting back up. “My back hurts.”

Sana’s arm flops on Nayeon’s thigh and she looks up, puppy eyes and all. It’s hard for Nayeon to keep it together when she’s like this. “I can massage it for you…”

“A bath will do the trick, thank you,” Nayeon pats Sana’s head for a second, then finally gets up. She hates how her legs feel like jelly, all because of a simply touch, and if she could curse out loud she would – but not now. This game they’ve been playing for a few days has been carefully crafted, and the climax was about to hit tonight.

Hopefully, in every sense of the word.

Sana is still looking at her, lying on the couch sideways, and her pout is so inviting that Nayeon has to physically restrain herself from jumping on her right there. With a thick swallow, she turns around. “I’m going.”

“Where?” Sana’s voice is hoarse from sleepiness, but the smirk on her face betrays her true intentions.

“To take a bath, as I’ve previously informed.” Nayeon walks painstakingly slow.

“Can I come?”

There are so many innuendos to this sentence that Nayeon can’t help but to look over her shoulder as she swings her hips teasingly. “I don’t know, can you?”

They stare at each other for a second, then Nayeon finally reaches her destination, closing the door with a wink.

Sana waits.

She waits with her eyes closed, and a very vivid imagination, her throat already going dry.

She waits for the sound of water filling the tub to stop, and she waits for the sound of Nayeon’s beautiful, nude body getting into the hot water, and she pictures everything. The steam, the way Nayeon’s lips part as she sighs contently and relaxed, the way her skin must feel, warm and wet to the touch—

She waits for another sound.

And she hears it, after a while. Quiet, almost imperceptible, but familiar to Sana’s ear.

A tiny, soft moan, from behind the door.

Sana’s eyes fly open, and she can’t wait anymore.

She’s removing her garments on the way, shirt and skirt thrown carelessly inside her room, panties and bra landing on her bed, and socks on top of a shelf, but she doesn’t really care at that point. She’s naked on the living room, and her hand lands on the bathroom’s door handle, but she stops, pressing an ear to the wood before walking in.

She hears another moan, louder this time. With a lick to her lips, Sana pushes the door open.

It’s steamy and she can barely see where she’s stepping, but it’s okay. The sound guides her well, and Sana finds the tub with no problem.

She sinks into the water, behind Nayeon’s curved body, and slides her arms around the older girl’s frame.

“So that’s why you enjoy your alone time in the tub…” Sana whispers in her ear and Nayeon stops her ministrations.

“You interrupted me,” Is all she answers in return, but can’t help a low gasp when she feels Sana pressing kisses to her bare shoulder, moving up her neck, and behind her ear. “You’re—   _relentless_ , you know what?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t get excited when Mina and Jihyo said they were going out.” Sana bites softly on her earlobe, smirking. Her hands are already dangerously close to where Nayeon needs her, but she stops. “But if I got that wrong, I can stop—”

Nayeon turns on her hold, cupping the back of Sana’s neck and pressing their mouths together in a hungry kiss. She feels the warmth of the steam mixing with the water and Sana’s tongue on her lips, and doesn’t know how she managed to keep away from her for this long. Nayeon pulls back for a moment, only to mutter, “Don’t you dare stop.” Before diving in again.

Sana giggles and kisses her with the same intensity, all while working down the inside of her thighs. Her fingers finally find their treasure, and Nayeon groans in her mouth when Sana pushes in.

It’s messy, really. Their positions aren’t comfortable at all, but Sana likes this better than anything, because it’s sincere. Her heart is beating strongly – for as much fun as teasing Nayeon is, getting to please her in such a way that was making her moan Sana’s name _against her cheek_ was a thousand times better.

Sana likes Nayeon’s voice, because Sana likes Nayeon. Period.

“Good?” Sana asks, and Nayeon just nods.

“Keep going.”

Sana closes her eyes and presses another kiss to her mouth. “Say that again.”

“Don’t— Ah, don’t stop. Please.”

“I like it when you beg.” She chuckles, and Nayeon is too close to give her a proper comeback.

The splashes of water get faster and more intense, and when Nayeon’s nails dig deep on the skin of Sana’s back, she can feel herself tightening against her fingers. She’s loud because there’s no one in the dorm, and Sana loves to hear her. She thanks Mina and Jihyo a hundred times.

Nayeon collapses in her arms eventually and Sana holds her gently, caressing her back with the utmost kindness. She presses another kiss to the side of her head, and Nayeon sighs on her collarbone.

“Are you okay?” Sana asks after a moment.

“Yeah.” Nayeon smiles, then chuckles weakly. “God, I needed this.”

Sana thinks for a minute about what she wants to say, because it’s heavy and she’s not sure she wants to know the answer. Her mouth speaks before she can stop herself, however. “Did you need me, or did you need to get off?”

It’s silent and Sana regrets it immediately. She had no idea what came over her, but now it was too late and Nayeon was already pulling back. Sana closes her eyes and she can feel them sting.

“Sana,” Nayeon’s voice is neutral, and there’s no way to distinguish her tone. “Look at me.”

“Never mind what I said,” Sana tries to play it off. “Just kidding.”

When Sana feels Nayeon cupping her cheek, she finally looks at her. Nayeon is frowning softly, brushing her thumb on the corner of Sana’s mouth. “Is that what you think of me?”

“No! No, absolutely not, I just—” Sana starts to panic; she screwed it up. “I’m sorry, Nayeonnie, I… I just—”

That’s when Nayeon closes their distance again, but the kiss this time encompasses a tenderness that Sana’s never felt.

They’ve kissed before, hidden under tables, behind doors and inside closets, but they hardly ever talked about it. It was just something that they did, sometimes, when they felt like it. There were no strings attached, and for a while Sana enjoyed it, but then her heart started beating faster every time she saw Nayeon smiling and everything went downhill from there.

Sana had fallen for her friend and she couldn’t tell her because she didn’t want to stop kissing her.

Nayeon’s lips are plump and soft, and Sana thinks that she’s addicted. She nips at them, holds her waist closer and opens her mouth, but Nayeon pulls back before she can deepen it.

“I could spend the rest of my days kissing you like this, and nothing more,” Nayeon mutters as Sana gapes. “It’s not your fingers that I need, Sana, it’s… you. I like being with you. Hell, you could’ve come in here to literally just take a bath with me and I’d probably be smiling like an idiot for the whole night.”

The words are sudden, and they hit Sana with a strength of a thousand bulls.

“Wait, wait,” Sana is not good at subtleties despite everything. “So, what are you saying?”

“Seriously?” Nayeon blushes this time, rolling her eyes. Sana cracks a slow, breathtaking smile and Nayeon sighs, because she can’t say no to that face.

So, she pulls her for another slow, languid kiss.

“I like you, you idiot.” Finally, the words come out.

“Oh,” Sana wraps her arms around Nayeon’s neck, nuzzling her cheek. “Okay.”

They kiss until the water is cold, and eventually leave the tub with renewed emotions and happy hearts. Sana finds out that not touching Nayeon for more than three seconds is unbearable.

They put on their pajamas and leave the bathroom after drying each other’s hairs, hand in hand, just to cuddle on the couch as they watch whatever show was on TV.

“By the way,” Sana says in the middle of their make-out session. “I like you, too.”

Nayeon just pulls her in for another kiss, enjoying the time they have together before someone arrives.

She could get used to this.

 

\--

 

Mina doesn’t know what’s going on.

She’s dizzy, the street feels crooked under her feet, shifting positions all the time, but she walks laughing while someone pulls her by the hand. It’s not that some stranger was kidnapping her – Mina was partially aware of who she let touch her – it’s just that Jihyo was just as drunk as her, and she wasn’t sure the girl should be leading anyone in these conditions.

The Han river is still beautiful.

“Okay, are you ready?” Jihyo stops suddenly at a very empty spot and leans on the grid. For a moment Mina’s sense for danger beeps loudly, but then she realizes that Jihyo was just going to—

“AAAAHH!”

Scream.

It’s a very common way to let out steam, as her Korean friends explained years ago.

“I’M NOT AN ALCOHOLIC!” Jihyo screams to the river, and the body of water doesn’t respond. She turns to Mina with a dumb grin. “Your turn!”

And Mina does what she’s told, because she would do absolutely anything Jihyo asked of her at that moment.

She presses her hands on the cold iron and curves her back, letting out a yell.

“I CAN HAVE FUN OUT OF BED TOO!” Mina yells and Jihyo laughs so hard beside her that she bends over with a hand on her stomach, nearly passing out.

“Oh my God! Okay, okay,” Jihyo gets up, recovering. “Let’s scream together, now. One, two—”

And they do. It’s liberating, and nothing really could ruin this for them.

Going out was such a good idea.

The girls laugh after they’re done, and Mina nearly trips, but Jihyo luckily catches her. They are both incredibly drunk, and Mina tries to recall how exactly they got like this, but nothing comes to mind. Something about Jihyo ordering a few bottles of soju and then a few more, and Mina drinking with her because she wanted to prove to herself – and maybe Jihyo – that she could handle it.

She had a very low alcohol tolerance, as it turns out.

Mina blinks and takes a moment to notice that they started walking again, with Jihyo’s hand in hers. She likes it. She likes it so much, that she needs to tell her.

“I like it when you hold my hand.”

Jihyo turns to her, still grinning. “Yeah? I should hold your hand more often.”

“You should,” Mina laughs a lot when she’s drunk. “I really like it.”

“Okay, I will.”

That’s when Jihyo intertwine their fingers, and Mina feels herself melting.

She really likes Jihyo.

They arrive at a bench underneath a lowlight and Jihyo pulls Mina to sit with her. The younger girl misses the spot and ends up sitting on Jihyo’s lap, and when Jihyo wraps her arms around her and buries her head on her shoulder, Mina decides to stay there. They’re still giggling like fools, and some people pass by with a stare, but they don’t mind.

“This,” Jihyo speaks up. “Is going to hurt like hell tomorrow.”

“What?” Mina loses herself in the warmth.

“Hangover. Never had one?”

“I’ve never been drunk to have one,” Mina lets her cheek press against the crown of Jihyo’s head. “Your hair smells good.”

“I stole Sana’s shampoo,” A pause. “Don’t tell her.”

“That’s why I recognized it.”

They laugh more, talk about everything and nothing, and Jihyo not once tells Mina to move from her lap. Mina kinda wishes to stay there forever.

She shifts a bit to look down at Jihyo. “You know, I wished my boyfriend would do this to me.”

“Do what?”

“Hold me like this,” Mina has no idea what she’s even saying anymore, but she needs to let the words come out. She _has_ to. “If a boy held me like this, wouldn’t it be romantic?”

Jihyo doesn’t answer for a while, just stares at Mina with unfocused and hooded eyes. She reaches to touch her cheek after a pause and swipes her thumb on the mole above her lip. “Am I not romantic enough?”

It’s exactly what Mina expected her to say, and the unsettling feeling poking her gut ever since they started hanging out more often finally bothers her enough to make her want to say it. “I think I like you better than boys, anyway.”

It was probably the alcohol.

There is a moment after the confession that feels suspended in time, like nothing else mattered outside of Mina and Jihyo, and it’s in this moment that Mina feels her body moving on its own, bending over to have her face level up with the girl holding her.

And it’s also in this moment that Jihyo maneuvers Mina out of her lap and sits her by her side on the bench, because the position wasn’t comfortable for what she was about to do.

For what she _wanted_ to do.

(They’ve been avoiding it for much too long.)

Mina thinks that Jihyo’s lips taste of everything she loves in this world – reassurance, kindness, and freedom. Maybe a little bit of soju remaining on her tongue, too.

 _Kissing is wet,_ is the first thing Mina realizes. The second thing is how addicting it is, and how she wants to drink everything Jihyo has to offer.

Mina wants to be taken care of but wants to take care of Jihyo at the same time. Maybe they can take care of each other through this single gesture.

Jihyo breaks the kiss first, and it’s only then that Mina sort of finds her grasp on reality again. “Oh, shit—”

“I’ve never seen you curse.” Jihyo laughs. Then she stops, her thoughts not quite as fast as when she’s sober. “…Did we just kiss?”

Mina sobers up fast at this sentence. “It was my fault. I’m sorry, I don’t— It won’t happen again.”

“Why not?” Jihyo sounds hypnotized.

“What?”

“I want it to happen again,” She blinks, then, and finally gives Mina room to breathe, leaning back. “I m-mean, only if you want it, too. Wait, you probably don’t, right? God, I’m so drunk, just ignore me, Mina, I’m sorry—”

Mina shuts her up with a badly aimed kiss to the corner of her mouth. “No, wait, I missed.”

It’s terrible, but Jihyo laughs. The sound is so beautiful that Mina loses her air for a moment.

“Try again.” Jihyo says in a low voice that makes all of Mina’s hairs stand up. She closes their distance once more, and when their lips touch, her heart soars. It feels like a dance this time around, not exactly timed correctly, but baby steps that could potentially evolve to a ballroom masterpiece with enough practice.

It’s still very wet.

Mina learns that Jihyo likes to caress the back of her head when she kisses her.

 

\--

 

The hangover the next day is, indeed, terrible.

Mina thinks that Jihyo’s touch has healing properties, though.

 

\--

 

“Do I want to know?” Jeongyeon asks Nayeon and Jihyo in the van when they’re coming back from their schedule.

“About?” Nayeon asks, one hand holding Sana’s on the seat in front of her.

“ _Your_ dumb smile,” She points at Jihyo. “And _your_ … whatever it is you’re doing that is making Sana’s arm bend out of shape.”

“I’m always smiling.” Jihyo defends herself.

“She is.” Mina says from the back of the van, which causes Jihyo to laugh loudly and send her an actual wink and a kiss.

“My arm is fine!” Sana turns to her, indignant. “It was just hurting yesterday.”

This makes the van break into laughter and Jeongyeon wants to kill them for being gross in front of her very eyes.

“At least you two are not sulking anymore.” Jeongyeon tries to find something good out of this whole situation.

“Mina controls my drinking habits now.” Jihyo smirks.

“And Jihyo makes me get out of bed.” Mina adds.

“I’m pretty sure she makes you get into bed, too.” Nayeon comments casually, which causes another round of laughter, and Jeongyeon to yell in her ear something about public indecency.

Mina knows that the jokes about her habits won’t die that easily, but now, looking at Jihyo’s gorgeous smile, and kissing that smile every night before sleep, Mina can positively say that she doesn’t care.

It doesn’t bother her.

And she doesn’t think it ever will again.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on my social media:  
> Twitter: @niigoki_  
> Tumblr: niigoki  
> CuriousCat: curiouscat.me/niigoki


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